Shoes that fit differently after a wear

[Nemtynakht]

So, one of my pet peeves is shoes that fit fine when you try them on, fine when you take them home, fine when you walk around your house in them, and then all of a sudden not fine the minute you step outside. Is there anything you do to predict how differently shoes are going to fit once you leave the protective, returnable confines of your home?

Yesterday I bought a pair of Puma flats. They're very cute ballet/sneaker flats (below, but in brown with teal trim). I tried on the 8s and they were definitely too small. The 8.5s were perfect and came home with me. Now I'm starting to get the impression that they might slip off my feet with too much wear. How can I tell for sure? There's nothing worse, imho, than flappity-floppity ballet slippers sliding off your heel as soon as you start to walk at all faster. I suppose I could add heel slips to the back of the shoe, but the reason I bought a $65 sneaker is to have something easy to throw on for errands, not to alter and tweak and worry about the fit.

I bought a pair of adorable Marc Jacobs shoes (red, below) -- a splurge for my pocketbook and one of my most expensive pairs of shoes to date. Got them home, and depending on the time of day that I tried them on, the fit was terrible. I returned them, and I'm still devastated about it. I couldn't risk the ca. $250 on a pair of shoes that might not fit.

[shoesense]

Ah, a sad, inconvenient truth indeed, compounded by the fact that once you wear the shoes outside, that's it--you can't return them.

In my clueless youth, I was under the impression that you always have to 'break shoes in' once you buy them; after a few days of suffering, they'd fit like a glove! That was true in some cases, but not so in many others, and that's because, as you know, if the shoes doesn't fit from the get-go and feel comfortable, it will never really fit well. So that's the first rule of thumb.

But, what happens when our senses deceive us? you ask. Perhaps you should try to wear them in the house for longer periods of time--say, as instead of slippers? I'm guessing the problem would be apparent once you just leave them on for at least one or two hours at a time and go about your business, move from one room to the other, etc. I'm guessing you should be able to tell after that time if they're comfy or not. Well, unless they're high heels, in which case they're not going to feel comfortable for extended wear no matter what, and you make special dispensations ("I'm only wearing them for special occasion! Hoe to cab to bar and back, and no dancing in between!" kind of thing).

Sorry you had to return that adorable MJ pair, but better safe than sorry. And in my experience, MJ shoes can fit well or can fit very poorly, and there's no safe way to predict that.

Just had an idea: perhaps the shoes felt fine indoors because of the carpeting, but once you hit the hard pavement, there is no shock absorbency and the shoes start feeling uncomfortable?

And ditto about flat shoes like the ones you describe: I've had that experience, and it's not a good one. My safe bet with that is to find a brand in which you consistently feel comfortable in a particular size, and stick with that. For me, the sporty, comfy shoes of that kind are Cole Haan (the G-series).

[jitterbugbaby]

I've had this happen to me. Buying ballet shoe types can be hard, because sometimes the smaller size is too small and the half size up is too loose, and sometimes it's hard to tell at all.

As someone who often feels like I need a size 8.25, here's my go-to solution: inserts. If the whole shoe feels loose, get a thin, removable, full-length insole (sometimes shoe stores will have these for free to give you). If you're having a "fat foot" day, take out the insole. If you're having a "skinny foot" day, stick it in.

Also, if you want to push your whole foot back in the shoe, try an insert that goes in under the ball of your foot. That should move your foot back a bit and give you a bit more tightness.

One of the things I discovered when I worked with shoes is that sometimes a shoe can be perfect for your feet, but need a little help to get there. Stretching in one spot to accomodate a bunion/hammer toe/etc., filing down the rough edge of a sandal strap, sticking an insert in for your heel/toe/arch. Minor adjustments, but they can make all the difference.

[Nemtynakht]

That's a great tip about the ball-of-foot insert! I've tried full inserts to ease the size (as I, too, am an 8.25), but with ballet flats they often make the shoe too shallow. Thanks for the advice!

[VANmiracle]

.. try an insert that goes in under the ball of your foot. That should move your foot back a bit and give you a bit more tightness.

I've good experience with them too. There are some translucent gel inserts at the ****stores which are quite comportable.